Barts and The London Heart Attack Centre | Heart stem cell research | Heart stem cell trials
Heart stem cell trials
Introduction
An exciting series of new research studies are being conducted at Barts and The London NHS Trust to see if injecting a patient’s own stem cells into their damaged heart can improve the symptoms and heart function of patients with heart failure or prevent heart failure in patients following a heart attack.
Background
Heart disease is one of the UK’s biggest killers. It affects almost 2.7m people and claims 120,000 lives each year. (Source: British Heart Foundation statistics)
What is Heart Failure?
Heart failure is the term used when the heart becomes less efficient at pumping blood round the body. In most cases heart failure occurs as a result of damage to the heart muscle, which weakens the pumping action of the heart. For more information visit The British Heart Foundation's website
What is a Heart attack?
Please click here for more information about heart attacks and the care we provide at Barts and the London Heart Attack Centre.
For other information about heart attacks, please visit the British Heart Foundation's website.
What are stem cells?
Stem cells are the body’s master cells. They are unique because unlike other cells they can turn into almost any other type of cell in the body. If proven to work, these cells could revolutionise the way we treat heart disease and could transform the lives of millions of people not only in the UK but around the world.
- Stem cells have been shown to have the ability to develop into new heart muscle cells and cells forming the wall of blood vessels under carefully controlled conditions in the laboratory.
- Stem cells can originate from the embryo (embryonic stem cells) or from the adult (adult stem cells) such as from the adult bone marrow.
Download adult stem cells for heart disease information leaflet here
There is now tremendous interest to find out if regeneration of the damaged heart can be achieved in humans using adult stem cells.
